1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device on which a plurality of communication interfaces are mounted, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point which uses the same. More particularly, the invention relates to power ON/OFF control of a wireless LAN interface connected to a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus of a communication device which constitutes a wireless LAN access point, and wire LAN interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with regard to use forms of LAN, an increase in use of a communication network represented by Internet has been accompanied by an upsurge in use of a wireless LAN in addition to a wire LAN which has conventionally been used. In the case of the wireless LAN, a wireless LAN access point is arranged at a contact between the wireless LAN and the other communication network (wire LAN), and a user can carry out communications through the other communication network via the access point from a wireless LAN terminal.
As the use of the wireless LAN is increased, the number of terminals used in a service area covered by one access point is increased to excessively raise a communication load and power consumption at the access point. Additionally, since the number of access point installation places is increased, there is a demand for utmost miniaturization of an access point to enable relatively free layout arrangement in limited space. However, to miniaturize the access point, a power source section must particularly be made compact, which makes essential energy/power saving measures at the access point.
Conventionally, as such power saving technologies of the communication devices, there have been presented a portable communication terminal which comprises means for turning interface power OFF by selectively switching a wireless communication interface and a wire communication interface for nonuse (see JP-3097137), and a modem which can prevent power consumption which is more than necessary by releasing a channel with a device at an exchange when a subscriber terminal is in an unconnected state, and its control method (see JP-A-2002-111905).
However, the aforementioned conventional power saving technologies of the communication devices are not necessarily designed for application to the wireless LAN access point. Thus, the problems of a reduction in size of the power source section to miniaturize the wireless LAN access point, and power/energy saving still remain to be solved.